MANTIS Appointed ROWE British Squash Grand Prix Official Racket Partner

“I cannot think of a more appropriate racket partner for the British Grand Prix, the UK’s largest squash UK event, than one of the sport’s newest and most exciting British brands,” said internationalSPORTgroup Chief Executive Officer Paul Walters on signing the agreement.

“The ROWE British Grand Prix is the only World Series ranking event to be staged in the UK this year and as such is one of the most important events on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour, supported by a comprehensive programme of TV coverage which will ensure that the event is distributed to the largest possible global audience,” Walters continued.

“We are very grateful for the support of MANTIS Sport and as part of our agreement, spectators will benefit from exclusive MANTIS racket promotions which will further add to their overall event experience.”

Martin Aldridge, founder of MANTIS Sport, was equally upbeat about the agreement: “As a new British sports brand, MANTIS are honoured to have been chosen as official racket partner for the ROWE British Grand Prix. This is undoubtedly the pinnacle squash event in the UK, and one of the biggest in the world, and will provide the brand with the perfect platform for our premium squash racket launch.”

Despite being relative newcomers to the market the MANTIS team brings with it a wealth of experience. A number of key staff have worked for major sports brands in the past and this included developing products used by professionals on the ATP, WTA & PSA Tours. Consequently MANTIS has the know-how to develop products that are perfect for players of all ages and abilities.

“MANTIS has quickly established a foothold within specialist retail outlets in the UK tennis market and is already receiving product recognition from independent magazines and associations such as the USRSA. Supporting the ROWE British Grand Prix demonstrates commitment to our introduction into squash and will enable us to establish positive recognition within the sport,” Aldridge continued.

“We are looking forward to working with internationalSPORTgroup across all aspects of the British Grand Prix in this exciting new era for the event and the sport in general. I anticipate that this will become a lasting relationship as we continue to grow within the sport and to one day seeing a MANTIS player lift the coveted British Grand Prix trophy!”

Confirmation of MANTIS as the championship’s official racket partner comes just weeks after internationalSPORTgroup announced ROWE Motor Oil as title sponsor, as part of a pioneering new agreement with Manchester City Council which will see the British Grand Prix staged in the UK’s squash capital for three consecutive years.

The ROWE British Grand Prix – Manchester 2011, one of only nine PSA World Series events in 2011, and the only PSA World Series ranking event to be staged in the UK this year, will include a star-studded field headed by world No1 Nick Matthew.